Marc Llistosella who was supposed to replace Guenter Butschek won’t be able to join as Tata Motors CEO due to his inability to relocate to India for personal reasons.
Indian auto major Tata Motors is on the hunt for a new CEO, as Marc Llistosella who was appointed as the new Managing Director and CEO, effective from July 1, 2021, is not joining the company, as N Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Motors has said in a statement. However, the company didn’t divulge any further details.
Marc Llistosella was supposed to join the company in place of Guenter Butschek whose term ends on June 31, 2021. The reason behind Marc Llistosella’s not joining Tata Motors is his inability to relocate to India due to personal reasons, as claimed by a company insider.
Earlier this year, on February 12, 2021; Tata Motors announced the appointment of Marc Llistosella as the new MD and CEO of the company. Commenting on his appointment, he said, “I am delighted to become a part of the unique Tata family. Having been bonded to India for so many years, a new exciting chapter is now opened. We would jointly awaken the potential of Tata Motors.”
With Marc Llistosella’s appointment, India’s largest commercial vehicle manufacturer Tata Motors was aiming to push its commercial vehicle business in the growth path with Llistosella’s vast experience in the sector, including the Indian market as well. Marc Llistosella has earlier worked in India as the MD and CEO of Daimler India Commercial Vehicles Pvt. Ltd (DICV). Under his leadership, DICV became a prominent commercial vehicle manufacturer in the Indian market, where select homegrown brands such as Tata Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, and Ashok Leyland rule the segment.
Llistosella had extensive experience in leading business and running sales, marketing, and network management as well as strategic planning. He was most recently the President and CEO of Fuso Truck and Bus Corporation and Head of Daimler Trucks in Asia.
Interestingly, this is not the first time Tata Motors is staring at a vacant leadership post. In the last three decades, the automaker has managed without an MD for several years.
After witnessing phases without an MD, Tata Motors appointed Karl Slym as the MD of its India business on October 1, 2012. However, the top post fell vacant on January 27, 2014, after the sudden demise of Slym, who was also the former MD of General Motors India. The automaker then appointed Guenter Butschek, an Airbus veteran in February 2016 after operating as leaderless for one and half years.
Under the leadership of Guenter Butschek, Tata Motors has seen phenomenal growth in the passenger vehicle segment with the introduction of new generation models like Tiago, Tigor, Nexon, Altroz, Harrier, and recently the new Safari as well. The automaker also entred the electric vehicle segment with the introduction of models like Nexon EV and Tigor EV. After heading the company for the last 5 years and leading the transformation, Guenter Butschek had informed his wish to relocate to Germany at the end of the contract for personal reasons.
Meanwhile, Tata Motors has forayed into the compact ambulance segment with the launch of the Magic Express ambulance on Friday. The compact patient transport ambulance is claimed to have been designed specifically for healthcare mobility in the economy ambulance segment. It can support medical and health-related services, claims the automaker. It also claims the ambulance would be significantly helpful in tackling the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
With the introduction of the compact ambulance, Tata Motors now offers a wide range of solutions in the ambulance category. The automaker also claims that the 800cc engine-powered five-seater Tata Magic Express ambulance comes with essential equipment such as an auto-loading stretcher, medical cabinet, provision for an oxygen cylinder, doctor’s seat, and fire extinguisher along with internal lighting, flame-resistant interiors, and an announcement system.
